Baba Kalyani Wins Indian Of The Year 2025 In Business, Honoured For 'Make In India' Defence Push

Baba Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Forge, was honoured with the Indian of the Year 2025 award in the Business category at CNN-News18’s annual ceremony on November 28.

Kalyani emerged

as the winner among nominees Albinder Dhindsa, Falguni Nayar, Rajesh Jejurikar and Roshni Nadar Malhotra.

Kalyani received the award for his pivotal contribution to advancing India’s “Make in India” footprint in the defence sector.

Reflecting on his journey, Kalyani said three turning points shaped his life.

“The first was attending a military boarding school, where my grandmother’s stories of courage stayed with me. The second came from the guidance I received in the business world. But the biggest change happened in December 2014, during the Make in India meeting at Udyog Bhavan. That was when the Indian private sector was allowed into defence manufacturing. Ten years later, in 2024, we were exporting artillery guns to Europe,” he said.

CNN-News18’s #IndianOfTheYear2025 honours Mr. Baba Kalyani, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Forge Ltd — a visionary leader who transformed Indian manufacturing and powered India’s global industrial rise@RShivshankar | #Business #Growth pic.twitter.com/3TBgJ6lCdv

— News18 (@CNNnews18) November 28, 2025

Through Bharat Forge and its defence subsidiary, Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL), he has built one of the nation’s most formidable private-sector defence manufacturing ecosystems.

His leadership has been widely credited with accelerating India’s push toward self-reliance, boosting indigenous defence production and expanding the role of private industry in a domain long dominated by public-sector entities.

Under his stewardship, Bharat Forge has grown from a globally recognised forging and precision-engineering company into a significant defence exporter, delivering advanced artillery systems to international markets, including Europe.

Now in its 15th edition, CNN-News18’s Indian of the Year Awards continues to honour individuals whose determination, innovation and accomplishments have shaped India’s contemporary narrative.

Since its inception in 2006, the award has been regarded as one of the most credible recognitions in Indian news broadcasting.

This year’s theme, India’s Invincible Icons, celebrates changemakers who exemplify courage, resilience and transformative vision, qualities embodied by Kalyani, whose work has strengthened India’s defence capabilities and elevated the nation’s global standing.